In a historic leap forward for the private space industry, astronauts successfully completed the world’s first commercial spacewalk, testing new, streamlined spacesuits designed by SpaceX. This achievement was undertaken as part of the Polaris Dawn mission. The mission was led by Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur who funded the mission.
Over the course of five days, the crew will carry out important scientific research, including studies on how the human body reacts to space radiation. Traveling through parts of the Van Allen radiation belt, the crew will collect data that could inform future missions into deep space. This mission also achieved a record-breaking feat by traveling farther into space than any human crew has since NASA’s Apollo program ended more than 50 years ago. The crew reached a peak altitude of over 1,400 kilometers (870 miles), pushing the boundaries of what private space missions have accomplished so far.
The Polaris Dawn mission is not Isaacman’s first foray into space. The CEO of Shift4 Payments has a deep interest in space exploration and is determined to push the limits of privately-funded ventures. Isaacman’s Polaris Dawn crew includes highly skilled individuals with years of space engineering and military experience. On Thursday, he and Sarah Gillis, a senior SpaceX engineer, became the first non-government astronauts to exit their spacecraft and venture into the vacuum of space, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of space exploration. The Polaris Dawn crew also pilot Scott Kidd Poteet and SpaceX employee Anna Menon. Gillis and Isaacman ventured outside, while all four crew members wore and tested newly designed spacesuits.
One of the most critical elements of the Polaris Dawn mission was testing a new line of spacesuits designed and manufactured by SpaceX. These suits, which are significantly less bulky than traditional NASA gear, are intended to offer greater flexibility and mobility for astronauts during extravehicular activities (EVAs). The spacewalk was conducted at an altitude of around 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth, with the entire Crew Dragon capsule depressurized to simulate the harsh environment of space.
Isaacman and Gillis were tethered to the capsule by oxygen lines, their movements limited but essential for evaluating the performance of the new suits. Gillis, who spent 10 minutes outside the spacecraft, conducted movement tests to assess the mobility and effectiveness of the suits in the zero-gravity conditions of space. These tests are crucial for the long-term development of spacesuits that could one day be used for more demanding missions, such as building lunar bases or exploring Mars. Unlike the bulky white suits worn by NASA astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), the new SpaceX suits do not include a Primary Life Support System (PLSS), which traditionally allows astronauts to move freely and stay alive outside the spacecraft. Instead, the Polaris Dawn crew relied on long hoses connected to the spacecraft to provide life support.
Historically, space exploration has been the domain of government agencies like NASA and the Chinese space agency, with spacewalks almost exclusively conducted from the ISS or China’s Tiangong space station. However, the rise of private companies such as SpaceX is shifting this dynamic. These companies are taking on greater roles in space exploration as government agencies reduce their budgets and outsource space travel operations. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to develop the technology required for future lunar missions, including landing astronauts on the moon by the end of this decade.
